Ravana

1988

Medium

Pen and ink on paper

Dimensions

5 × 8.5 cm

Status

In Gallery Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-155566

Ravaṇa, (also known by other names) is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu epic Ramayana; who was the Rakshasa (demon worshiping) king of Sri Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister Surpanakha. Ravana is described as a devout follower of the god Shiva in addition to his tribe's religious beliefs, a great scholar, a capable ruler and a maestro of the Veena. He has his apologists and staunch devotees within the Hindu traditions, some of whom believe that his description as a ten-headed person is a reference to him possessing a very thorough knowledge over the 4 Vedas and 6 Upanishads, which made him as powerful as 10 scholars. However, there is mention in Atharvaveda of demonic Brahmans called Dasagva (ten-headed) and Navagva (nine-headed) and the metaphor of a supernatural number of bodyparts to symbolize powers is an ancient one in Indian mythic depictions. Yet another interpretation of the ten-headed Ravana describe him to be a complete man with nine of his heads representing nine emotions that a man may possess (anger, pride, jealousy, happiness, sadness, fear, selfishness, passion, ambition) and one representing the intellect.